Nate Diaz

Leon Edwards and Nate Diaz's welterweight clash has been rescheduled from UFC 262 to UFC 263 on June 12, according to MMA Fighting's Damon Martin and Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole.

Diaz reportedly suffered a minor injury, which forced the promotion to push back the fight from its original date on May 15.

Leon Edwards is coming off a no contest with Belal Muhammad at UFC Fight Night 187 in March. He accidentally poked Muhammad in the eye in the second round, which brought the bout to an abrupt conclusion.

Nate Diaz hasn't stepped inside the cage since his loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 in November 2019.

For Edwards in particular, this is an opportunity to make a statement. He's the No. 3 challenger in UFC's rankings, so a win could put him on a path toward a rematch with welterweight champion Kamaru Usman. Usman won a unanimous decision during their first encounter, but that was far enough back (December 2015) to generate some intrigue for a return fight. 

For now, Diaz and Edwards join a UFC 263 card that already includes a pair of title clashes. Israel Adesanya is putting the middleweight belt on the line against Marvin Vettori, while Brandon Moreno is challenging flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo.

Jake Paul isn't taking Daniel Cormier's challenge to fight in MMA. However, the YouTuber-turned-boxer is hopeful Nate Diaz will be his next opponent inside a boxing ring. 

Paul spoke to Ariel Helwani of ESPN and said he thinks beating Diaz would help him set up a fight against Conor McGregor. 

"I think people will immediately write me off. Even someone watching this interview right now is like, 'Oh, this kid's crazy. Nate Diaz is such a dog, he's going to kill Jake, he's out of his mind.' But they're going to tune in and watch, right?

"It's two massive names, and it'd be a massive pay-per-view, and then when they see me obliterate him, their jaws are going to be dropped—they're not gonna even know how to react. They're gonna think it's rigged again. And at that moment in time, I'll be undeniable to fight Conor McGregor, because I beat the guy that beat you, Conor. And the Jake Paul vs. Conor fight is a massive fight. I'm sorta like, why wait? I don't need to be in this sport forever. I'm not trying to have 100 fights. So why wait? Let's do the biggest fights right away."

Paul is 3-0 since starting to train in boxing, defeating YouTuber AnEsonGib, former NBA guard Nate Robinson and former UFC fighter Ben Askren. His most recent bout against Askren caught the eye of the MMA world, including UFC president Dana White and Cormier, with the latter engaging in a war of words that nearly ended in a physical altercation last weekend at UFC 261.

Cormier called Paul out for a fight but said he would only challenge him in MMA, something Paul says will not happen because he's not trained in the discipline. 

Happy Friday and welcome back to TGIFighting. We'll get you set for this weekend's MMA action and break down the news of the day. Let's get it on.

Valentina Shevchenko: Coming Soon to a Netflix Account Near You (Oh, and She Has a Fight Too)

When Valentina Shevchenko (20-3) goes for her fifth straight flyweight title defense Saturday at UFC 261, she'll do it against an intriguing and frankly rather frightening opponent in Jessica Andrade (21-8), one of the hardest and highest-output strikers in the women's game today.

But when I spoke to Shevchenko last week, she was taking it all in stride. Just another day at the office, one fight at a time, and all the usual caginess you hear as fight week approaches.

However, there was one question that got her downright giddy: When's that movie coming out?

"I don't know when it's coming out exactly," said the greatest women's flyweight of all time. "But recently I heard it's a few weeks from now. I've been waiting so much! I really can't wait to see it."  

I am speechless. Thank you @netflix for believing in my vision, cannot wait for y’all to finally see #BruisedTheMovie.♥️ https://t.co/t2Ieg3Jpxv via @variety

— Halle Berry (@halleberry) September 11, 2020

The movie in question is Bruised, which features legendary Oscar winner Halle Berry and marks Berry's directorial debut. Berry stars as Jackie Justice, an MMA fighter looking for one last shot at the top. Shevchenko plays Lady Killer, a chief rival of Berry's character.

No release date has been formally announced, but Netflix paid around $20 million for the rights, which indicates, at least to me, that the uber-popular streaming service is serious about giving Bruised a serious push whenever it hits the platform.  

"It was an amazing experience working with Halle Berry," Shevchenko gushed. "She's amazing as an actor, director and a friend. I can't wait." 

And yet, there is a fight Saturday in Florida. Shevchenko is a -435 moneyline favorite (per DraftKings) to handle Andrade. The book on the Brazilian is to weather the early storm and tire her out over five rounds. But what a storm it is. Highly respected Rose Namajunas (9-4), who fights in the evening's co-main event, recently said Andrade's shots were the hardest she's ever taken.

From experience, Namajunas knows Shevchenko can’t underestimate Andrade’s power at #UFC261 💥

(via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/ZnwIVe3DiR

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 21, 2021

Shevchenko might stand toe to toe with Andrade for a while for the purposes of her Q rating (she's a counter fighter by nature and prone to extended bouts of inactivity that lead to charges that she's a bit boring to watch). But ultimately Shevchenko, a very smart fighter, will likely use her cardio to outlast Andrade's bullrush. 

"Not at all. Not at all," the Kyrgyzstani-Russian said when I asked if she was concerned about Namajunas' comments. "What happened is happened. Just because it is happening with Rose doesn't mean it is happening with me. … This is like, I'm not looking back. I'm looking only to Jessica Andrade and me. Only on one name."

And hey, even if she gets a little bruised during the battle, she'll still have the capital-B Bruised to be excited about.

       

More Social Media Chatter Between Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz(zzzzz)

Is this still interesting to anyone? I mean, steroid use accusations? What is this, 2012? 

But that's where we are as former rivals Conor McGregor (22-5) and Nate Diaz (20-12) trade Twitter barbs. In one, McGregor called Diaz a "juice head turkey," among other things, with Diaz responding that McGregor "don't know what the f--k [he's] doing."

These two might be positioning themselves for a future rubber match, even though both are already committed to other opponents–McGregor to Dustin Poirier (27-6 [1 NC]) and Diaz to a dangerous Leon Edwards (18-3 [1 NC]) in May.

I guess it's never a bad idea to have an active beef in your back pocket. But who at this point views this as compelling content? The main goal seems simply to remain in the news cycle as much as possible. So, mission accomplished? I'm just not sure it's such an amazing mission anymore.

         

It's Time for Ben Askren to Exit Stage Left

Entering last weekend's novelty boxing match with YouTube silverback Jake Paul, it was an open secret that Ben Askren (19-2-1) wasn't doing a whole lot to prepare for the occasion. Among other things, a training partner noted that Askren wasn't "trying to be a boxer."

Well, it showed. Paul knocked him out in the first round. That "former UFC fighter" was a sparkly appendage to Askren's name, but this showed that a wrestler, even one as decorated as Askren, probably doesn't have much of a shot in a boxing match without, you know, learning some boxing.

Did Askren do this for the money? Of course he did. So maybe that makes it all the easier for him to exit the fight game and stop embarrassing himself.

After dominant runs in Bellator and ONE Championship, Askren stumbled to a 1-2 UFC record that included taking an instantly iconic five-second knockout from Jorge Masvidal and a full-on chokeout from Demian Maia, after which Askren retired from MMA.

Maybe coaching is in his future. Maybe not. Who knows? But it shouldn't include active competition anymore. He's done enough damage to his rep as it is. Time to break out the shepherd's crook and pull him off the stage.

       

Stone Cold Lead Pipe Lock of the Week

Record to date: 7-0

No need to dig too deeply into Saturday's card for this one. It's welterweight champ Kamaru Usman (18-1) for the win.

There's no reason to suspect that the rematch won't be a carbon copy of the original. That must be why Usman is a heavy -435 favorite (per DraftKings) to again successfully defend his title over Miami's combat legend. He was "only" a -265 favorite in their original meeting last year. 

The reason is simple: Usman can simply overwhelm the challenger with wrestling. When wrestling is in your muscle memory, as it is for Usman, a year or even multiple years' worth of intensive wrestling training is not going to bring you up to speed.

This won't be the most lucrative of bets, but it could make a solid anchor leg for your parlay. Lock it in.

Welcome back to our regular Friday MMA column. Here, we'll scour the sport's landscape, preview upcoming cards, tell interesting stories and, if at all possible, have fun. Let's get it on.

         

Demetrious Johnson Finally Gets His Closeup

If your face ever winds up on a Times Square billboard, you've probably done something right.

Demetrious Johnson never received that kind of exposure when he was with the UFC. Not even during the five years when he was its flyweight champion. But in the Singapore-based ONE Championship, where Johnson (30-3-1) landed in October 2018 after prolonged friction with the UFC, Mighty Mouse is the marquee attraction. On April 7, he'll be the face of ONE's highest-profile event to date, challenging Adriano Moraes (18-3) for Moraes' flyweight title at ONE on TNT 1.

ONE on TNT hits Times Square! 🗽 How hyped are YOU for 7 April?! @adrianomkmoraes @MightyMouse @Ealvarezfight @tntdrama @BleacherReport @brlive #ONEonTNT #WeAreONE #ONEChampionship pic.twitter.com/NOeinoLOlI

— ONE Championship (@ONEChampionship) March 31, 2021

"I mean, it's very exciting," Johnson told me in an exclusive interview. "It's a very exciting thing to see the advertisement in Times Square. [The event] is going to be on TNT live, and I'm just excited for the opportunity."

(Note: TNT and Bleacher Report are both owned by Turner Broadcasting System.)

Johnson is a heavy favorite to defeat Moraes and capture the title. Still, in Moraes, Johnson faces a dangerous and capable champion who has held the belt on three separate occasions dating back to 2014. Casual MMA fans may not know much about him, but that doesn't make the threat any less real, especially given that 12 of Moraes' wins have come by stoppage, including nine submissions.

"He has a very interesting style," Johnson said. "He's a longer fighter for the division. He has a nice opening check hook, right hand, likes to get people to the ground and take their back. He's a submission artist. Very good grappler. And a tough guy."

Opponents aside, Johnson is effusive when discussing his promotional home. He publicly clashed with UFC President Dana White, even releasing a lengthy statement calling White a "bully," among other allegations.

But life is different in ONE. Now, Johnson said, he feels empowered to be himself without excessive pressure over what needs to happen outside the cage.

"I'd definitely say it's more peaceful," Johnson said. "In the UFC, there's always a battle going on. The UFC is driven by selling pay-per-views, but with ONE Championship, I'm not worried about that. … [The UFC] can handle their athletes however they want, but I feel the happiest at ONE Championship because I can be myself. I can be a nerd and play video games. I don't have to worry about being someone I'm not."

In particular, Johnson points to a more laidback organizational culture, one where demands on his time are fewer and farther between.

"I traveled a lot more when I was in the UFC, but I'm grateful for less travel, because it means I'm home with the family," he said. "It seemed like with the UFC, every other weekend I was traveling around the world to different shows to promote myself and different things."

Johnson doesn't have much to say about the UFC anymore. The UFC is the bigger stage, he acknowledged, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's better. For anyone questioning the wisdom of Johnson's UFC clashes and the departure that resulted, just remember that his move to ONE was a trade. In return for Johnson, the UFC received Ben Askren. And we all know how that ended up.

If that's not enough, just take a look at Times Square.

"At the end of the day, they're all businesses, right?" he said. "I think however people want to run their own entity is their own thing. Obviously, at ONE Championship, they have their values: passion, humility, courage, heart. They have that, and they want all their athletes to live by that."

            

Nate Diaz Gets Leon Edwards…

In February, yours truly observed that Nate Diaz (20-12) might be out of options on blockbuster fights and that he might have to take a fight with a lower-wattage but respected opponent to regain relevance.

I was half right. The UFC recently announced that Diaz would face Leon Edwards (18-3, 1 NC) in a welterweight bout in the co-main event of UFC 262 on May 15. It will be the first non-title, five-round bout outside of the main event slot in UFC history. So it has plenty of shine, even if it's not as much as you'd find in a normal Diaz fight, but Edwards is the No. 3 welterweight on the official UFC rankings and a heavy early betting favorite.

Diaz should be commended for taking a tough fight and in the process reaffirming his commitment to winning more than the daily news cycle.

                     

…But What About Belal Muhammad?

Edwards, of course, received lots of scrutiny recently for his March bout with Belal Muhammad (18-3, 1 NC), which ended in a grisly eye poke that left Muhammad writhing on the mat and unable to continue.

Edwards has the tougher strength of schedule between the two men and has gained more prominence for his outspoken style and knockout-centric approach in the cage. So it makes sense that he would receive what is surely a lucrative opportunity with Diaz.

But Muhammad still doesn't have a new opponent. It would be a bummer to see Muhammad, who had won four straight and eight of nine coming into the Edwards fight, largely passed over. As for Muhammad himself, he's taking a sanguine approach to it.

But here's hoping for his sake that fairness has a role in the equation at some point.

           

Conor's Last Chance?

Word is that the rubber match between Conor McGregor (22-5) and Dustin Poirier (27-6, 1 NC) will go down in July at UFC 264. In January, Poirier evened the ledger with a second-round TKO, more than six years after losing a first-round TKO to McGregor.

McGregor continues to be the biggest star in the sport, but boy could he use a win. He's only had three UFC bouts in the past two-and-a-half years and lost two of them. It's hard to pinpoint any one specific cause, but he does have a lot of other non-fighting things going on, like his lucrative whisky brand. Fighting is hard to do when you're not as hungry as you once were.

Just a theory. A loss may not dim McGregor's shine all the way, but it could be an inflection point in his career, after which we may rightly wonder if he is now more sizzle than steak.

        

Endeavor Takes Control

For several years now, entertainment giant Endeavor has owned a controlling interest in the UFC. Now, as it prepares to go public, Endeavor has purchased a 100 percent stake in the UFC, giving it full control over the company. The move cost $1.75 billion, according to government documents.

The implications of this are unknown, but it stands to reason Endeavor is doing this to beef up its profile in advance of its initial public offering, a process Endeavor has struggled with before because of excessive debt. As always, stay tuned.

Nate Diaz and Leon Edwards have reportedly verbally agreed to a five-round fight at UFC 262 on May 15 at the Toyota Center in Houston.

ESPN's Ariel Helwani said Tuesday the bout will serve as the co-main event of a card also featuring a clash between Charles Oliveira and Michael Chandler for the vacant UFC lightweight title.

Edwards' matchup with Diaz comes after UFC was unsuccessful in trying to convince Colby Covington to take on Edwards, but he wouldn't agree for "undisclosed reasons," per Helwani.

The 29-year-old Jamaica native is coming off a no-contest with Belal Muhammad on March 13. An accidental eye poke early in the second round brought a premature end to the UFC Fight Night 187 main event.

Edwards had won his previous eight fights dating back to May 2016. It was an impressive run that included triumphs over Donald Cerrone, Gunnar Nelson and Rafael dos Anjos to climb the UFC welterweight rankings, in which he sits third.

His last loss came against welterweight champion Kamaru Usman in December 2015.

Edwards called out Diaz last month on social media, setting the stage for the high-profile clash:

Nate just dribbled for an hour about wanting to fight at 170 against winners... let’s see it then @NateDiaz209. 8 fight win streak and #3 in the world. Let’s go if you still think you're a real one https://t.co/PUaPfwtRPQ

— Leon 'Rocky' Edwards (@Leon_edwardsmma) February 12, 2021

Diaz, 35, last fought in November 2019 when he lost to Jorge Masvidal in a bout for the specially designed BMF belt. He'd defeated Anthony Pettis three months earlier in his first fight since 2016.

He told Helwani in early February he wanted to fight twice in 2021 at "minimum."

"I'm ready to get this show on the road. ... I'm just trying to get it going," Diaz said. "Last year, it was a real bummer."

His extended stretches of inactivity have made it impossible for him to climb the ranks in the middleweight division as it appeared he would after a March 2016 win over Conor McGregor.

Beating Edwards would jump-start his bid to enjoy a late-career resurgence.

After barely breaking a sweat in his Round 1 submission over Tyron Woodley on Saturday night at UFC 260, welterweight star Vicente Luque took even less time to call out Nate Diaz for his next fight.

Luque (20-7, 11 KOs) has now won three straight matches since falling to Stephen Thompson via unanimous decision at UFC 244 in November 2019. Diaz has been unmoved by past challenges from Luque, but Luque thinks things should be different now.

Nate Diaz hasn't responded to his past callouts, but @VicenteLuqueMMA feels now is the time 👀 #UFC260 pic.twitter.com/szjs2ADDX3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 28, 2021

"I called him out in the past and he didn't respond," Luque said. "I think right now I've got a big win, I've got, you know, a great streak coming on, and man, my style, it matches perfect."

Diaz (20-12, 5 KOs) hasn't fought since a technical knockout loss to Jorge Masvidal—also at UFC 244—and has been a bit streaky over his recent matches, going 4-5 inn his last nine bouts.

That could make a fight with Luque more intriguing for Diaz now as he looks to reestablish himself as a premier contender.

Vicente Luque vs. Nate Diaz?? I kinda love it. Diaz wants to fight, but he's selective about opponent. He wants an old school fighter, one who comes for blood and not points. And there's actually not an obvious fight out there for Luque right now. I'd love this.

— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) March 28, 2021

UFC currently ranks Diaz outside the top 15 welterweight fighters, but at 35 years old, he's still capable of reviving his career.

Luque, meanwhile, was ranked as the No. 10 welterweight contender before his win Saturday. With Woodley entering the bout at No. 7, Luque is more than likely to make a massive jump in the rankings.

Whether that's enough to get Diaz into the Octagon with him remains to be seen, but after one of the biggest wins of his career, Luque made it clear he wants Diaz next.

Coming off his spectacular win over Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier has his sights set on another fighter with a win over McGregor on his resume.

During an appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience (h/t Alexander K. Lee of MMAFighting), Poirier mentioned his desire to move up in weight to fight Nate Diaz: "Before I'm done fighting, I'll go up to 170. Yeah, I'll go up to 170 to fight Nate."

Poirier's last 14 fights have been in the 155-pound lightweight division, and he is coming off arguably the biggest win of his career, beating McGregor by second-round technical knockout at UFC 257 in January.

The 32-year-old is also a former interim UFC lightweight champion by virtue of a win over Max Holloway at UFC 236, although he lost his next fight to Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 242.

Overall, Poirier is 27-6 with one no-contest in his career, and he essentially has his pick of the litter with regard to his upcoming fights.

For now, it seems likely that Poirier will be in the UFC lightweight title mix, whether that means Nurmagomedov coming out of retirement or vacating the belt.

After that, Diaz would undoubtedly be an intriguing opponent, especially since the fight was supposed to happen in the past.

Per Lee, Poirier vs. Diaz was scheduled for UFC 230 in 2018 at lightweight, but Poirier had to pull out of the fight with an injury, and it was never rescheduled.

Poirier mentioned the fact that their fight got called off, saying:

"Me and him were supposed to fight at Madison Square Garden. I kind of was the fall guy—He gets to point and say I pulled out of the fight and I did. I went to get stem cells done on my hip.

"But I was going to fight, I was going to go through a camp and fight him if they wouldn't have started offering me other replacement opponents, Nate was playing games with the UFC, UFC started offering me opponents and I said, 'Look guys, if this is happening, I'm just going to have my hip taken care of.' He's a guy I've always wanted to fight."

The 35-year-old Diaz hasn't fought since a TKO loss to Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 in 2019 at welterweight, but he has an impressive resume to his credit and remains a popular figure among fans.

Diaz is 20-12 in his career and owns victories over big names such as McGregor, Anthony Pettis and Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone.

Poirier vs. Diaz at welterweight would be a fight worthy of headlining a pay-per-view even if there is no title involved, but it is difficult to envision it happening any time soon based on Poirier's positioning in the lightweight division.

Jake Paul is back to goading Conor McGregor into a boxing match after mocking the UFC star for his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257.

As Paul prepares to face Ben Askren in a pay-per-view bout on April 17, the YouTube star is already plotting his next moves, which include both McGregor and Nate Diaz.

Speaking to MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn, Paul said defeating Askren will open up some major opportunities, with him having already gotten into it with Floyd Mayweather Jr:

"Once I beat Nate Diaz, once I embarrass him actually, I will be undeniable to McGregor because I will say, 'Hey, bubba. Listen to me, guy, you little Irish guy: I beat the guy who beat you. So you have to fight me.' That's why this is so exciting. It's one step at a time. It's one fight at a time. I still have a major milestone ahead of me April 17, and like I said, though, this is the start of an illustrious career. Ten years from now I'll be coming to watch these interviews, and I'll be like, 'Damn, this kid was a little evil genius, predicting all of this."

Diaz told ESPN's Ariel Helwani a boxing match against Paul doesn't interest him "at the moment" but that he'd be interested in setting up a fight in the future. That could mess with Paul's timeline for superfights a bit, yet Paul had plenty more to say about why his road to McGregor features so many turns.

While insinuating McGregor is "owned" by UFC President Dana White, Paul told Bohn that McGregor needs a few more wins on his resume before a bout between the two becomes a reality.

McGregor has fallen in three of his last six bouts, including a submission defeat to Diaz at UFC 196.

Diaz only has two fights left on his UFC contract. Paul believes that makes a potential bout with him a possibility by 2022.

As the future begins to come into focus for Paul, the present poses a legitimate threat to his career if he can't take care of Askren in April.

After sitting out all of 2020, Nate Diaz has two potential opponents in mind for his next UFC bout this year. 

Speaking to ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Diaz said he wants to fight either Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira. 

The two names at the top of @NateDiaz209's list are Dustin Poirier and Charles Oliveira.

But Diaz wants them to meet him at 165 or 170 pounds 👀 (via @arielhelwani) pic.twitter.com/XlOQlG31Tt

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 9, 2021

In the same interview (h/t ESPN's Marc Raimondi), the Stockton Slugger said he hopes to fight at "minimum" twice in 2021. 

"I'm ready to get this show on the road. ... I'm just trying to get it going," Diaz said. "Last year, it was a real bummer."

It could be a challenge to convince either Poirier or Oliveira to face Diaz, who is insisting he wants to fight at welterweight (between 156 and 170 pounds). 

Poirier has only fought at featherweight (136-145 pounds) and lightweight (146-155 pounds). Oliveira does have welterweight experience, but that was in 2008 for his professional debut in Predador FC. 

Oliveira did win that tournament with three first-round victories. The Brazilian star has fought primarily as a lightweight in the UFC, though he previously competed in the featherweight division from 2012 to 2016. 

Diaz has split time between lightweight and welterweight, though the 35-year-old has fought in the 170-pound division for each of his last four fights. 

The last time Diaz stepped into the Octagon was against Jorge Masvidal at UFC 244 in November 2019 for the unsanctioned BMF title. Masvidal won by TKO when the doctor stopped the fight between the third and fourth rounds. 

Diaz (20-12, 11 submissions) has lost five of his last nine fights dating back to Dec. 2012. He does hold a submission victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 196.